Mental Illness In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Macbeth is the main character in William Shakespeare’s drama, Macbeth.  Macbeth was still in shock from the killing of King Duncan, this was the turning point in his sanity. He experiences from a lifelong illness called paranoid schizophrenia, which is the presence of auditory hallucinations or prominent delusional thoughts about persecution or conspiracy. In the play he shows himself suffering from this disorder when he he has hallucinations becomes convinced of things that aren’t necessarily true, and by his patronizing behavior.

Paranoia with a Side of Hallucinations Picture living in a world where it was impossible to separate imagination from reality; Where seeing did not always mean believing. It would be living in an inconceivable hell, incapable to remember what was real and what was dreams. This is what it is like everyday to live with paranoid schizophrenia. Paranoid schizophrenia is a subset of schizophrenia, in which victims suffer from hallucinations that others are plotting against them. Schizophrenia typically originates from biological factors; however, environmental factors can manipulate someone into falling victim to this horrendous disease.

One of Shakespeare’s superlative examples of a troubled mind is located in Macbeth. The impertinent character Lady Macbeth exhibited many symptoms of depression and antisocial personality disorder. While mental illness is generally developed through an accumulation of several events, as it was in Lady Macbeth’s case, it was definitely more profound after the murder of King Duncan.

Macbeth and Madness Imagine the President of the United States admitting to having mental instability. This scenario may rattle some, but it clearly plays out in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth. The play’s title character uses violence to maintain power but gradually plummets into mental illness. Before Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, conspire to murder his cousin Duncan, the King of Scotland, in order to attain authority, Macbeth foreshadows the possible repercussions; afterward, he experiences an immediate sense of remorse. The subsequent murder of a friend displays his progressive unsteadiness, but the massacre of an entire family demonstrates his transformation from instability to deviance.

“Macbeth” is a tragic play about a gruesome rise to power and the downfall of it all. Macbeth goes down menacing paths in order to get the power he believes he deserves. Macbeth is easily persuaded by a prophecy promised by three witches, this contributes to him making sinister decisions that are not worthwhile.Macbeth encounters many strange/supernatural experiences, struggles with a constant paranoia and finds himself being stuck in a endless rut fuelled by ambition. By the end, he is trapped in a world he had created himself. In other words, you can try to find a way to escape your guilt but it will always be there tormenting you.

Mental illness in Renaissance England was a very harsh subject. It was a horrid time to be considered mentally ill, for the insane were thrown into prison like asylums meant to protect them. There was little understanding of insanity, causing anyone to be considered abnormal by regular social standards to be cast into an asylum. However, mental illness in women was treated much differently than with men, and even then the medical treatments were cruel and unforgiving. Because of this understanding of mental health during the time period, Lady Macbeth’s mental illness was hugely misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

Shakespeare engineered a most impressionable character in Macbeth who easily succumbs to the extensive magnitude of opposing constraints. This character is Macbeth, who is the protagonist in the play and husband to a conniving wife, who in the end is the sole cause for Macbeth 's undoing. Conflicting forces in the play compel internal conflicts within Macbeth to thrive on his contentment and sanity as he his torn asunder between devotion, aspiration, morality and his very own being. He has developed a great sense of loyalty from being a brave soldier; however, his ambition soon challenges this allegiance. As his sincerity begins to deteriorate, his own sanity starts to disintegrate until the point where he cannot differentiate between reality

Stages of this mental illness touched on by the playwright are the overpowering initial impact, difficulties sleeping, and the suicidal tendencies. In the moments subsequent to the treasonous murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth feels an irrepressible amount of guilt. This occurrence is the root of her depression as she experiences the weight of her crime and needs to be “look[ed] to” (2.3.115) and “exit...helped” (2.3.Stage Directions). Subsequently, the shameful state of mind Lady Macbeth suffers provokes complications with her sleep. The queen’s “heart is sorely charged” (5.1.46) which “keep[s] her from her rest” (5.3.40).

There are some threads, that, once pulled, will unravel the whole sweater. In a similar sense, there are some events that can trigger the mind to unravel itself into insanity. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, a Scottish general by the name of Macbeth, stumbles upon three witches, while walking with a man named Banquo, who foretell his ascent to the throne. Driven by the prophecies of the witches, the influence of his wife, and his own ambitions, Macbeth kills King Duncan and becomes king. Eventually, Macbeth, ridden with guilt, fear, and paranoia, commits even more murders in an attempt to secure his power; instead, he is overthrown and killed by Macduff. The downfall of the Macbeth is caused by the pulling of a thread — his first interaction with the witches — and the unraveling of his mind into insanity which is shown through his loss of empathy, his increased hostility and paranoia, and his delirious hallucinations.

About 5.7 million Americans or 2.6 of the U.S population. Bipolar disorder is genetic it runs through many families. Bipolar disorder can be treated with medication. Many people tend to want to commit suicide with this disorder. There is no specific cause for this disorder or just one certain thing. It can come from genetics, biological, or environmental. In Shakespeare play Macbeth, Macbeth shows many signs of bipolar disorder. This paper will show the symptoms, causes, and cures of this disorder. This will also show an effective treatment plan that would have changed Macbeth’s life for the better. Macbeth’s death was fate not free will.

One of the many symptoms he shows is insomnia it is first seen after the murder of king Duncan. An example of this symptom is “ Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more”(2,2,41-42). Macbeth has killed king Duncan and the reality of what he has done is setting in he says he will not be able to sleep knowing what he has done. The next symptom Macbeth experience is hallucinations it is seen when he is debating whether or not he should kill King Duncan. “ Is this dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my

After killing Duncan, Macbeth’s mental state changes completely. The difference between the moment before the murder and the moment after is that Macbeth’s lack of determination. He feels personally responsible for the murder and wishes it never happened. Thus, he is afraid to look at the dead body and face what he has done (2.2.54-56). His regret of the murder shows the transformation of Macbeth’s attitude: he lets his remorse overpower him to the point of madness.

A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.

In my experiences, depression is common among those with guilt. Depression is a deep and severe condition that can affect a person´s will to live. Lady Macbeth, the newly appointed queen and wife to King Macbeth has shown signs of severe depression and warning signs of suicide. I have worked with the Queen’s doctor to find sufficient and specialized treatment for her. Lady Macbeth organized the death of the King of Scotland as well as other acts that have caused her immense distress and grief due to this experience. With a suspicious surrounding and a mentally collapsing husband, Lady Macbeth’s depression has only gotten worse.

Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded